Clock



July 7, 1925.

T. KN UTSON CLOCK Fil p 9. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l meow/r5 Ayn/i501Qtkoamg Patented July 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES THEODORE KNUTSON, OF NORMA, NOIRTI-I DAKOTA.

CLOCK.

Application filed September 9, 1924. Serial No. 736,781.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE KNUTsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norma, in the county of Renville and State of North Dakota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clocks,

of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a clock and has for its prime object toprovide means for operatingthe clock by the gravity or pressure. ofwater continuously and automatically dripping.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a cheap andreliable power which can be easily applied to produce the necessarymotion in a clock mechanism.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a device of thisnature which is simple, efiicient, strong, and well adapted to thepurpose for which it is designed.

lVith the above and numerous other objects in view as will appear as thedescription progresses, the invention resides incertain novel featuresof construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts as willbe hereinafter more fully described and Ql imed." s

In-the drawing: Y 'gure 1 is an elevation of a clock enibodying thefeatu res of my invention,

1 Figure 2 "is a longitudinal -\*'er.tical sec-. tion therethrough, v 7

Figure 3 is a top plan view thereoffone' end being broken away to showthe supply ta'nk partially in horizontal section,

F'gure 4 is a longitudinal horizontal sec? tion through the clock, and YFig ue 5'is an enlarged detail view of the drippin g mechanism. 5

Referring to'the drawing in detail it will be seen that l represents thecasing which may be of anv desired formation'andl'is provided in one muwith an opening 2 adapted to receive a closure 3. held in place by anysuitable means *asat 1. -Cleats' 5 are provided on the inside of the endwalls adjacentthe top thereof for supporting a tank 6 adapted to holdwater or any other suitable liquid. A filling neck 7 extends upwardlyfrom the supply tank 6' through the top wall of the casing and isprovided with any suitable -cap S. Adripping'mech anismD is mountedatone endof thetank and' 'co nsists of a reservoir 9 the lower end ofwhich is taper-ed and provided ii'ithfan opening 11 including a valveseat- 12. An extension 13 is provided to one side of the reservoir 9 anda pipe or tube 1% leads therefrom and is connected so as to communicatewith the tank 6 so that the water or fluid therein may flow through thispipe and keep the reservoir still. A needle valve 15 is associated withthe valve seat 12 and'extends through the tank and through the top ofthe casing terminating in a suitable operating knob or the like 16. Aportion of the shank of the needle valve is threaded as at 17 into thebottom portion of the tank in order that the amount of liquid drippingfrom the reservoir 15 may be controlled by moving the needle valvetoward or away from its seat 12.

An inverted U-shaped frame 20 is mounted on the bottom of the casing andhas journaled therein shafts 21 and-22 which are spaced from each other.These shafts 21 and 22 are also journaled through the front wall of thecasing that is the wall opposite tothat which has provided therein theopening 2. A clock face of circular construction is mounted on theoutside of this wall as is indicated at 23 and the shaft 22 extendscentrally therethrough while the shaft 21 is disposed adjacent the edgethereof. These shafts are preferably in the'same horizontal plane. Aminute hand 24 is p'ro-' vided on the end of th'eshaft"22'and is adaptedto be'associate'd with suitable in'-' dicia indicating minutes arrangedaround the edge of the circular face 23. Additional indicia indicatingthe hours is arranged on the face and an hour hand25 isassociatedthere'with being fixed on the outer endof the shaft 21. Ahousing 26. is provided for the face 23'and a transparent panel is provided' therein.

A ratchet wheel-28 is fixed tothe shaft 22 as is also a pinion 29. Agear 30 is mounted on the shaft 21 and meshes with the pinion 29. Thusthe shaft 21 having mounted thereon a minute hand ro-' fates much fasterthan the shaft 21 having thereon the hour hand.

. a A standard 32- rises from the bottom of the casing and supports alever 33'; This lever is-pivoted intermediate its end on the top of thestandard-'asat 34. A shovel shaped pan 35 is provided on oneend of thelever immediately below the opening in" the bottom of "the reservoir 9of the dripping mechanism D. A stop standard'or less heightthan'standard' 32 and indicated at 36 is provided below this end of thelever 33 having provided thereon the pan 35 so as to limit the swingingof the lever as the drops of water or like fluid engage the pan. A hookshaped dog 37 is pivoted at 38 to the other end of the lever 33 and aspring 39 holds the free end 40 thereof in engagement with the ratchetwheel 28. A weight 41 is adjustably mounted on the lever 33 be tween thestandards 32 and the hooked shaped dog 37. lVhen a drop of water or likefluid hits the pan 35 it will swing the lever so as to move the hookedshaped dog upwardly and when the water flows off of thepan the weight tlwill tend to return the lever to its original position thus partiallyturning the ratchet wheel 28. It will thus be seen that this ratchetwheel will be intermittently rotated by the drops of fluid from thereservoir 9 and that thefeed or frequency of this intermittent motion'of the wheel may be controlled by the needle valve 16, This wheel, ofcourse, causes the rotation of the shaft 22 and thereby causes therotation of the other shaft 21 through the intermediacy of the pinion 29and the gear 30. A dog 45 is pivoted on one leg vof the frame 20 and isadapted to .engage the ratchet wheel on an opposite side'of the dog 37so as to prevent rotation of this ratchet wheel in one direction andallowing its rotation in the other direction. In other words the hand 24is only allowed to rotate in a clockwise direction as long as the pivoted dog 45 is still engaged with the ratchet wheel. 7 p

A drain cock 46 is provided in the bottom of the casing in order thatthe samefiuid may be usedover and over again if desirable. It is thoughtthat the construction and; op eration of the invention will now beclearly understood without any more detail description 7 thereof.

WVhile the preferred embodiment of my invention'has been described indetail, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to theparticular construction set forth, since various changes in the form,material, proportions, and arrangement glof parts, and in the details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention as hereinafter claimed or sacrificing any of itsadvantages.

Having thus described my invention,

' what I claim as new is:f

1. In combination, a casing, a supply tank mounted at the top of thecasing, a dripping mechanism assoc ated with the supply tank, a leverfulcrumed in'the casing below the supply tank having at one end a pan, aweight adjustably mounted adjacent the other end,"liquid from thedripping mechanism adapted to fall on said pan for swingingthe lever, amotor mechanism including a ratchet wheel, a hooked shaped dog on theend of the lever adjacent the adjustable weight, means for holding thedogs in engagement with the ratchet wheel, and a clock 7 hand operableby the motor.

2. In combination, a casing, a liquid supply tank mounted in the upperportion of the casing, 21. dripping mechanism depending from the supplytank including a reservoir having an opening in its bottom forming avalve seat, a needle valve associated with the seat and extendingthrough the tank being threaded therein and also extending through thetop of the casing whereby the valve may be moved toward or away from thevalve seat for regulating the supply of liquid to drip therefrom, a pipeconnecting the reservoir with the tank, a standard rising from thebottom of the casing to a lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends to thetop of the standard, adrip pan on one end of the lever and below thereservoir in order that liquid therefrom may drip onto the pan, a stopstandard below the end of the lever provided with the pan,-a weight adjustably mounted on the other end of the lever, a dog pivotally mountedon the last mentioned end of the lever'and' provided with a hookedterminal, a frame rising from the bottom of the casing, a shaftjournaled in.

the frame and in one'side of the casing, a ratchet wheel on the shaft, apinion on the shaft, said dog engageable with said ratchet wheel foractuation thereof intermittently, another dog on the frame engageablewith the ratchet wheel to allow rotation thereof in one direction only,a second'sh'aft journaled in the frame and in one side of the casing, agear .on said second shaft meshing with the pinion, a minute hand on theexterior end of the first shaft, an hourhand on the exterior end of theother shaft, a clock face onthe outside of the casing,.indicia on thefa'cefor association with the minute and hour hand.

3. In combination, a water supply, a substantially horizontal leverpivotally mounted, yieldable means constantly acting to tilt the leverto a normal position in one direction, a pan on one end .of the lever, awater dripping mechanism associated with the water reservoir forsupplying drops of water on the pan to intermittently tilt the lever inthe other direction against the action of said yieldable means, and aclock hand operating mechanism actuated by said lever, said pan beingarranged to discharge the drops of water therefrom upon being tilted bythe latter so that the lever will be intermittently returned to itsnormal position by said yieldable means.

4t. In combination, fa "water dripping mechanism for supplyingintermittent drops of water, a movable member, means including a panmovable by each drop of water from said dripping mechanism tointermittently move said movable member, and a clock hand operatingmechanism actuated by said movable member, said pan being arranged todischarge each drop of Water therefrom after being moved by the latter.

5. In combination, a movable member, a yieldable means constantly actingto move the movable member to a normal position in one direction, a panon the movable member, a Water dripping mechanism for supplying drops ofwater on the pan to intermittently move the movable member in the otherdirection against the action of said yieldable means, and a clock handoperating mechanism actuated by said movable member, said pan beingadapted to discharge the drops of Water therefrom upon being moved bythe latter so that the movable member will be intermittently returned toits normal position by said yieldable means.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

THEODORE KNUTSON.

Witnesses:

B. E. JOHNSON, R. C. DAHLY.

